Bryan Co. Sheriff's Deputy laid to rest in Pembroke

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol Caisson Unit transports the casket of Bryan County Deputy Sgt. Robert Crapse from the First Baptist Church to the Northside Cemetery Tuesday afternoon in Pembroke.

A bagpiper from the Georgia State Patrol Honor Guard plays as pallbearers from the Pembroke Police Department and Bryan County Sheriff’s Deputies carry the flag draped casket of Deputy Sgt. Robert Crapse following the funeral service Tuesday afternoon at the First Baptist Church in Pembroke.

Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News A member of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol walks alongside the caisson transporting the flag draped casket of Bryan County Deputy Robert Crapse from the First Baptist Church in Pembroke to the Northside Cemetery Tuesday afternoon. Hundreds of law enforcement officers and people from the community lined the streets for the procession.

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A Georgia State Patrol Honor Guardsmen slowly approached the American flag-draped casket before him as the solemn sound of a single bagpipe echoed throughout the First Baptist Church in Pembroke Tuesday.

The trooper stopped within feet of the casket and offered one slow, final salute of his white gloved hand to honor fallen Bryan County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Robert “Bobby” Crapse.

Hundreds of family members, friends and fellow law enforcement officials gathered at the church to remember the life of the 32-year-old deputy who was killed while on duty about 2 a.m. June 15 when his cruiser collided head-on with a vehicle traveling south in the northbound lane of Interstate 95 near the 96-mile marker in Chatham County.

The deputy, who lived in Ellabell, was heading from the south end of the county where he’d been working traffic control to north Bryan County with his K9 partner, Seppe, said Bryan County Sheriff Clyde Smith. The dog escaped with minor injuries.

“It is a terrible, tragic thing,” Smith said after the wreck. “He was a fine deputy.”

During the ceremony, the Rev. Dan Bryant reflected on the sacrifices Crapse had made since joining the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office as a jailer after graduating from Bryan County High School in 1998 and becoming a deputy in 2006.

“Bobby was a deputy sheriff, a police officer, but I still believe the one thing he was more than anything else in this community — he was a servant of the community,” Bryant said. “This morning I’d like to thank (Crapse’s wife) Ashli, (and children) Sarah, Bobby, Natalie, and the rest of your family for letting your daddy be a public servant — staying away from you for quite a few hours at a time, putting himself in harm’s way, never really knowing.

“And you know something, Bobby was still able to love his family. Bobby was still able to love them with his whole heart.”

Law enforcement officials from across Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina saluted as pallbearers from the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office and the Pembroke Police Department carried the fallen deputy’s casket toward the waiting North Carolina Sate Highway Patrol Caisson unit that carried Crapse to Northside Cemetery where he was buried.

Although he did not know Crapse, Jasper County, S.C., Sheriff’s Deputy Zeke Dunham drove about 60 miles to attend the funeral.

“We like to show our support,” Dunham said. “It shows the respect for a fallen officer. It’s a good feeling to see that much support — such a young, young man whose life is gone. It’s so dangerous out there in all kinds of ways.”

Other officers came from as far as Columbus and Henry County, and Georgia State Patrol troopers from multiple posts attended.

“It’s very important for all of us to be here to show support not only for the family of Bobby but for the community and the (Bryan County) Sheriff’s Office as well,” said GSP Trooper 1st Class Joel Mock. “This is a time when all law enforcement really comes together to support one another and especially our fallen fellow officers.”

Mock was also there to support the family of Crapse, who he called a friend.

“I worked with him hand-in-hand on the interstate quite a bit,” said Mock, who is stationed at GSP’s Rincon post. “It’s a very tragic thing.”

In his final thoughts during the funeral, Bryant thanked the surrounding communities for showing support for Crapse’s family.

“It’s been a tremendous outpouring today and last night of friends and family and coworkers and just a community and surrounding counties,” Bryant said. “This is very hard, and we’re sorry that it’s this way, but thank y’all so much for being here today ... his parents, his family, Lord, we know they’re going to miss him; we all are.”